August feedback shows readers are looking beyond announcements and votes. They want to know who pays, who benefits and whether public promises are kept.
Behind the Beacon
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Allison Dikanovic will be The Beacon’s next editor-in-chief
We have some big news to share. Allison Dikanovic is joining The Beacon as our next editor-in-chief. Allison starts Sept. 14 and comes to us from The Kansas City Star, where she most recently led local government accountability coverage. She has spent her career thinking about many of the same things we think about every […]
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The Beacon and KBIA-FM win national Murrow Award for reporting partnership ‘Dumped in Berger’
We have exciting news to share. “Dumped in Berger,” a six-month investigation by The Beacon’s Ceilidh Kern and KBIA’s Harshawn Ratanpal, has won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting. The Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious honors in journalism, and we couldn’t be prouder to see this reporting recognized nationally. If […]
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Why we’re trying something new
One of the things I love most about The Beacon is that we’re always trying to get better. We look at what other nonprofit news organizations are doing, we talk with colleagues across the country and we borrow good ideas when we think they’ll make The Beacon stronger for our readers. Over the next few […]
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Over 70½ years old? There’s a tax-smart way to support The Beacon
My friend Brent Schondelmeyer has a habit of introducing me to good ideas. He’s thoughtful, practical and always looking for ways to make a difference. One of those ideas is something called a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD. Until Brent mentioned it, I’d never heard of one. The more I learned, the more I thought, […]
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The Beacon answers Missouri voters’ biggest questions before August elections
If there is ever an opportunity to be pulled in two different directions, the Aug. 4 election in Missouri is one of them. With a ballot that includes four statewide initiatives, along with individual races and local questions, it’s easy to feel both excited and confused. That’s why The Beacon, along with our Missouri Statehouse […]
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Meet The Beacon’s new COO
Hilary Becker, who’s been with The Beacon since 2021, will help guide The Beacon through its next phase of growth as its chief operating officer.
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The Beacon welcomes two new board members
Melissa Roberts Chapman and Matt Waggoner will join The Beacon as board members, supporting The Beacon’s upcoming growth initiatives.
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Event recap: Understanding the Kansas City budget process
On June 3, The Beacon gathered community members at the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Blue Ridge Branch in south Kansas City for a conversation about one of the most important civic documents shaping life in our region: the Kansas City budget. Budgets can be overwhelming. They’re often hundreds of pages long, packed with technical language and […]
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The Beacon earns regional Murrow Award for investigative series on hazardous waste in Berger, Missouri
“Dumped in Berger,” a three-part series collaboratively reported by The Beacon’s Ceilidh Kern and KBIA-FM’s Harshawn Ratanpal, has earned a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. Since 1971, the Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding work in broadcast and digital journalism with the Murrow Awards, named for the legendary CBS broadcaster. The Beacon […]